The band's founder and singer Craig Minowa has a degree in Environmental Science, and his environmental, political, and social awareness is reflected in much of Cloud Cult's music. (Note: Craig Minowa actually has stated he intentionally doesn't sing about environmental awareness because he lives it...he doesn't need to preach it) The band's self-created non-profit record label, Earthology Records, uses the most environmentally friendly methods available to ensure minimum damage to the environment.
After two solo LP's, The Shade Project (1995), and Who Killed Puck? (2000), Minowa's sudden loss of his two-year-old son and subsequent separation from his wife, Cloud Cult emerged with They Live On The Sun in 2003, combining concepts of Minowa with performances by cellist Sarah Young and drummer Dan Greenwood, who shortly became members of the band. This album was deeply personal and painful album for Cloud Cult and you don't often hear songs from it in concert.
Minowa continued to use music to cope with the loss of his son on the following album Aurora Borealis. This album did begin to branch out more into exploration of pain and loss instead of just feeling it.
Minowa reunited with his wife, and the next album is widely considered their crowning achievement. Advice From The Happy Hippopotamus involved collaboration from a variety of musicians and has garnered praise from critics, even being acclaimed as "a work of insane genius". This album is capped off with the "happy-go-lucky" song, Lucky Today. This album was selected by esurance to be animated into a commercial. This was a contest for the most environmentally sound band because esurance labels themselves as the paperless insurance provider.
On April 10th 2007 Cloud Cult officially released their sixth LP, The Meaning of 8 (although it was available for sale online in late January): the first single was titled "Take Your Medicine." In April 2008, the band followed it with Feel Good Ghosts.
In 2009 band announced a break till 2010, though they released limited re-releases of their albums Lost Songs from the Lost Years, They Live on the Sun and Aurora Borealis (the last two as a double-disc).
Their concerts are certainly a sight to be seen. Along with Minowa on Guitars (and other fun things), they have got bass, drums, violin and cello. There are two official band members who actually do very little music during the shows; Minowa's wife Connie and Scott are painters. They create original works of art during the show (breaking only occasionally to sing or sometimes Scott plays Trumpet). Then, at the end of the show, they silent auction these paintings off to the highest bidder.
Their official website is www.cloudcult.com.
Take Your Medicine
Cloud Cult Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Something gave me another chance to see.
Each time, each time I will try to do better.
Right now, right now is where I guess I belong.
Pulled my fist from my mouth.
I beat myself for a quarter century.
Remind, remind that it's bigger than me.
These are things that I keep hidden in belly.
I can't see them but they control my life.
For a moment you could see right through me,
See right through me.
Help me make this right.
Look at all those skeletons running from their closets,
get them in the light!
These are things that I keep hidden in belly.
I can't see them but they control my life.
For a moment you could see right through me,
See right through me.
Help me make this right.
Look at all those skeletons running from their closets,
get them in the light!
You can take it in stride, or you can take it right between the eyes.
Suck up, suck up and take your medicine.
It's a good day, it's a good day to face the hard things.
Pulled my fist from my mouth.
I beat myself for a quarter century.
Remind, remind that it's bigger than me.
Dissolve, dissolve into evergreens.
We found beautiful babies sleeping in our ribs.
Get them in the light.
Get them in the light.
You can take it in stride, or you can take it right between the eyes.
Suck up, suck up and take your medicine.
We found beautiful babies sleeping in our ribs.
Get them in the light.
Get them in the light.
You can take it in stride, or you can take it right between the eyes.
Suck up, suck up and take your medicine.
The lyrics to Cloud Cult's song Take Your Medicine are deeply personal, dealing with themes of self-destruction, facing inner demons, and finding a way to heal. The opening lines, "Got myself a new look, something gave me another chance to see," suggest a fresh start and a resolve to do better. The singer acknowledges the mistakes of their past, beating themselves up for decades and living with hidden emotions that control their life.
The line "Help me make this right" is a plea for support, recognizing that facing one's inner demons is a difficult but important step towards healing. The repeated refrain "Get them in the light" represents a call to bring the hidden skeletons in our closets out into the open, facing the hard truths of our lives.
The song culminates in the line "Suck up, suck up, and take your medicine," which suggests that facing our inner demons head-on is a difficult but necessary step towards healing and growth. Through the metaphors of evergreen trees and beautiful babies sleeping in our ribs, the song speaks to the potential for growth and renewal that exists within each of us, if we are willing to face our demons and take our medicine.
Line by Line Meaning
Got myself a new look,
Something gave me another chance to see.
I changed my perspective and gained an opportunity to see things differently.
Each time, each time I will try to do better.
Right now, right now is where I guess I belong.
I recognize my flaws and want to improve, but I know that I need to focus on the present moment.
Pulled my fist from my mouth.
I beat myself for a quarter century.
Remind, remind that it's bigger than me.
Dissolve, dissolve into evergreens.
I have been punishing myself for years, but I need to remember that my struggles are not just about me and let nature help me heal.
These are things that I keep hidden in belly.
I can't see them but they control my life.
For a moment you could see right through me,
See right through me.
Help me make this right.
Look at all those skeletons running from their closets,
get them in the light!
I have deep-seated issues that I can't see, but that affect me profoundly. I need help to face them and expose them to overcome them.
You can take it in stride, or you can take it right between the eyes.
Suck up, suck up and take your medicine.
It's a good day, it's a good day to face the hard things.
You can either face your problems head-on or ignore them, but you need to confront them sooner or later. And today, you can choose to do it.
We found beautiful babies sleeping in our ribs.
Get them in the light.
Get them in the light.
We have hidden potential inside of us, and we need to bring it to fruition.
Contributed by Lincoln F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
I am you are I
I can't get over how many great songs this band has created in their relative obscurity. Surely one of the great catalogs of the first 20 years in this century
Johnnyrayh 58
as an addict and human being this speaks to me so deeply. i cry almost every time i hear it,
x3ParadiseAndDreams
this is nothing like what im used to listening to and i listen to everything , it's a weirdly amazingly beautiful song
PVCNX
They are better live and I mean it. It just sounds amazing and so real compared to others who perform live. I saw them last week!
Laura Mayer
If ever you get a chance to see them live with the Minneapolis orchestra again…DO IT
Morgan Thomas
So grateful for the effort Craig and Cloud Cult put into their music in order to bring more positivity into this world. I can't imagine the number of lives they've improved with even a single song like this. Thank you Thank you!!
Elizabeth Wakefield
When the Meaning of 8 came out, my local radio station played this song (I was new to listening to the station as well), I immediately went on-line, looked up the song and bought the album, little did I know it would change my life.
Christian Widder
Saw them live last night for the second time. This song is amazing live, and the band really is amazing in concert
Oliver shinobi
Check out why Craig makes his music, he tries to be positive, and some times you can see the darkness in his songs. He lost his child, and devoted his life to music and is keeping his child alive through that.
smithwebapps
Some times?